“We’re here,” he said, tapping where the highway curved between two gentle hills. “Gage and Alistair block the road here, stopping the convoy between these two overpasses. Rafe’s charges blow on the forward overpass, blocking them in. Leo will then deploy the EMP to disable their vehicles.”
“Won’t the EMP take out our vehicles, too?”
“No, it’s localized. As long as we stay outside the blast radius, we’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” I nodded, but my stomach still twisted in on itself. There were so many things that could go wrong. “And then?”
“Then Flynn and Decker will move on the security vehicles while Ethan and I extract Sophia. Lyric provides cover fire from the overpass behind us. Nolan brings the helicopter in for extraction. We’ll fly to the coast, dump the helo, and take a boat to Estonia.”
I’d heard the plan six times already. It didn’t matter how many times I heard it—nothing could make this plan sound safe or certain.
“What if she’s not in the convoy?”
“Kate confirmed heat signatures. One adult, one child in the back seat of the center vehicle.”
“What if something goes wrong?” I asked, the question burning in my throat.
“Then we adapt.” Trent’s hand covered mine and stilled my trembling fingers. “That’s what we do. Handle one problem at a time.”
I pulled away because I didn’t want him to feel how sweaty my hands were. I adjusted the too-heavy tactical vest again. It wouldn’t stop a direct hit, Alistair had explained when he handed it to me, but it would slow things down enough to maybe save my life.
Sophia wouldn’t have a vest.
Oh, God.
“Two minutes to intercept,” Kate updated. “Convoy moving at 110 kilometers per hour.”
My throat tightened. I pictured Sophia on that plane, surrounded by strangers, confused, terrified. Asking for me. I saw her at the facility, strapped to a table while some lab techs prepared her neural mapping equipment. Needles and electrodes, and my daughter’s small body jerking against restraints.
Cold sweat broke across my forehead. The van felt too small. The air too thick.
“I can’t breathe,” I whispered and tugged at the vest straps.
Trent’s hands caught mine. “Yes, you can. Focus on me.” His eyes held mine. “We’re going to get her back. Right now. Then we’re going to burn Innovixus to the ground so they never touch her again.”
“What if we fail?”
“Not an option,” he said simply.
“But if we do?—“
“Then we try again. We find another way. We don’t stop until she’s safe.” His thumb brushed across my knuckles. “But we’re not going to fail.”
“Vehicles coming into view,” Kate reported. “Confirmation on package in car two.”
My heart stuttered, and I keyed the button on my mic. “She’s there? You’ve seen her?”
“Thermal confirmation only. But yes. Child-sized heat signature in the back seat of the Mercedes.”
The breath I’d been holding rushed out. She was there. So close.
“Keep the channel clear,” Ethan growled. “Ten seconds. Remember, hold fire unless we have no choice. We’re not here to start a war.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Flynn muttered over the comms. I heard the smile in his voice.
“Nine,” Kate counted. “Eight. Seven.”
Trent crouched by the van’s side door, every muscle drawn tight.
